Mansion House Banquet - 14 February 2017

Mansion House Banquet - 14 February 2017

From the Master - Dame Elizabeth Fradd DBE DL

It was an enormous privilege and pleasure to host our annual banquet in the splendid setting of the Mansion House. We were delighted the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress were able to attend together with both Sheriffs and their wives. 276 Liverymen and their guests filled the Egyptian Hall and were entertained throughout the four course dinner by the London Banqueting Ensemble.

Dinner began with the Bishop saying a special grace, focused on the work of our outgoing Clerk – Philip Grant. The evening was memorable for its atmosphere which was convivial and fun, enhanced by many traditions including the usual toasts, circulation of the rosewater bowls, sung grace and the loving cup.

Our Guest speaker was Mr Justice Blair – Judge in charge of the commercial court in the City. Sir William a graduate of Oxford University practised at the English Bar where he specialised in the law of banking and finance, appearing and advising in many domestic and international disputes. He became Queens Counsel in 1994 and was Chairman of the Commercial Bar Association between 2003 and 2005.

Sir William was appointed a High Court Judge in England and Wales in 2008, and is one of the nominated judges who sit in the Commercial Court. He chairs the Monetary Law Committee of the International Law Association, which brings together leading people in the financial law field. He is a visiting Professor of the London School of Economics and chair of the Law and Ethics in Finance Project, and informal group concerned with standards in the financial sector of which I am a member.

It is the planning and pulling together of all the various strands that make an evening such as this a success. The most important element is however the people who attend. Thank you. 

Photographs of the banquet were taken by Karla Gowlet and may be downloaded from

https://www.flickr.com/gp/kgowlett/b5WYF8